Is Water Softener Water Safe For Aquariums?

on December 19, 2016

Aquarium owners might ask: is water softener water safe for aquariums? There have been some conflicting reports about this, so it is understandable that some people might be concerned or just confused. It should be noted that in the field of pet care in general, there is going to be a lot of conflicting information. Some people still like to keep their fish in bowls in spite of the fact that this has been demonstrated to be bad for the fish over and over again. However, water softeners have not been debunked in the same way, so people don’t need to exercise as much immediate action.

Aquariums and Water Softeners

It should be noted that water softeners are not all created equal, and that is not the case for aquariums either. Ultimately, people are probably going to need to check with the manufacturer of the water softener, and they should ask specific questions related to the chemistry of the water softener.

Different fish are going to have different levels of tolerance for everything from the salinity of water to the pH of the water. They’re going to vary in terms of their ability to tolerate water softeners as well. Water softeners often alter the chemistry of the water by replacing the calcium with sodium. In some cases, this is going to be bad for the fish. There are fish species that do well in water that is high in sodium. However, there are also fish species that will get sick or die in this sort of water, so it is important to confirm that a particular fish species can tolerate a given range of conditions.

If the water softener in question has a bypass valve, then it should be easier for people to control the conditions of the water. Some people have also managed to get around some of these problems by using potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride in water softeners. Fish need more potassium to live than sodium, and they can tolerate environments that are high in potassium much more easily.

It is also important to note that live plants in the aquarium are going to absorb a great deal of the potassium in the water. People should consider the possibility that the entire ecosystem of the aquarium is going to be affected by the water softener, and that this situation can have widespread effects on the ecosystem of the aquarium.

Ultimately, there are ways of compensating for some of the problems associated with using a water softener. However, it is still a good idea to be careful when using a water softener, especially when it comes to aquariums that are full of very sensitive fish that cannot easily tolerate conditions that are heavy on the salt. Saltwater fish might have an easier time. Aquariums that have a lot of wildlife might manage to maintain their equilibrium for a longer period of time. However, water softeners still represent a risk, and people should take all of that into account.

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